David Zurabishvili, a political scientist, on Tuesday accused the country’s “de facto leader”, Bidzina Ivanishvili, of treating Georgia as his personal domain, shaping foreign policy decisions based on his own power interests.
Zurabishvili claimed that Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, “determines Georgia’s geopolitical stance at his own discretion, shifting between pro-Russian and pro-Western positions as it suits him”.
“One of the styles of Ivanishvili’s government is that they have no sense of national statehood. Ivanishvili views this country as a possession, as a business, and judges foreign priorities based on his personal power. When he wants to, he becomes pro-Russian, when he wants to, relatively pro-Western”, Zurabishvili said.
He also linked recent legislative and governmental actions to ongoing public unrest caused by the GD Government’s decision late last year to halt EU integration until 2028, arguing that the Government’s “repressive measures are a reaction to protest movements across the country”.
“I think that this wave of repressive legislation and actions is a response to the protests. It is more of a response than originally intended. It is vital for Ivanishvili that there be no more protests, and this is the main source of his legitimacy”, he added.
The political analyst further criticised the ruling party’s handling of foreign relations, asserting that the Georgian government had significantly damaged its standing with Europe. According to him, even during an election period last year, the administration had alienated allies, undermining its credibility.
“They managed to absolutely ruin relations not only with Europe. Even during their pre-election period, the reputation of Ivanishvili and his government was below zero. They cursed everyone, threw them away, deceived them. It is simply impossible to have a good, serious relationship with a government that deceives you every second”, Zurabishvili said.
